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1 results

  • Chapter 8 - We Must Change Our Behavior

  • Mark Jaccard, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia
  • Book:
    The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success
    Published online:
    06 February 2020
    Print publication:
    06 February 2020, pp 144-164
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  • Summary

    Climate–sincere citizens are frustrated with three decades of global and national failures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so they are receptive to arguments that they can make a difference by changing their own behavior – consuming less, flying less, driving less, becoming vegetarian. However, if our economy is dominated by fossil fuels, individual behavioral change has to be radical to reduce emissions, and few people are willing to do that. But if we change our behavior as citizens to increase the chance of electing climate–sincere politicians and supporting their policies – through civil actions – we actually create the conditions where our consumer behavior can also contribute. If our politicians forced coal plants to close, then our use of an electric vehicle and of an electric home heat pump for heating and cooling will reduce emissions and provide a model for others.